Throughout his political career, which began in 1990, Grant Shapps has served in a wide variety of posts that have continued to evolve. At 55, Mr Shapps is at the peak of his political career appointed as the new Defence Secretary, succeeding Ben Wallace who formally stepped down after four years in the role. Having previously held the Secretary of State for Transport position, the British politician has bags of experience in politics, while also making a name for himself as a multimillion-dollar web marketer. Who is Grant Shapps, the freshly appointed Secretary of Defence?

Grant Shapps came into the world on September 14, 1968, in Croxley Green, Rickmansworth, and Hertfordshire. He is the son of Beryl and Tony Shapps.

The new Secretary of Defence attended Yorke Mead Primary School and Watford Grammar School for Boys, where he obtained 5 'O' Levels. He later enrolled at Cassio College in Watford, earning a diploma in business and finance.

Conservative party chairman, Shapps, started his professional path as a sales representative for photocopier machines. He launched PrintHouse Corporation in London in 1990, at the age of 22, a business specialising in design, printing, website creation, and marketing.

In 1999, Grant Shapps was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma. Through chemotherapy and radiotherapy, he managed to recover from cancer by the following year.

Among Grant Shapps' family members are two musicians: his brother, Andre Shapps, who played keyboards for Big Audio Dynamite, and his cousin, Mick Jones, who co-founded The Clash.

During his cancer recovery, Shapps and his wife co-founded How To Corp Limited, a web publishing company specialising in marketing business publications and software.

While pursuing his degree in the US, he survived a near-fatal car crash and remained in a coma for nearly a week before making a remarkable recovery.

Conservative MP Shapps started his political career in 1990 by running as a Conservative candidate in the Old Moat ward of Manchester City Council, which was under Labour's control. While Shapps' 2001 campaign for Welwyn Hatfield ended without success, his victory four years later marked the advance in his political career.

Appointed in December 2005, he served as Vice-Chairman of the Conservative Party, where his duty was managing campaign activities. His tenure on the Public Administration Select Committee extended from May 2005 to February 2007.

The member of the Conservative Party, Shapps, found himself embroiled in his first scandal in 2012 when he deleted information from his Wikipedia page, including the names of donors to his private office. Shapps explained that he edited the content to increase its accuracy.

In March 2015, UK's new defence secretary confessed to holding a second job while serving as an MP, and conducting business under the pseudonym Michael Green.

After lending his support to Boris Johnson's 2019 Conservative leadership bid, Grant Shapps was appointed as Secretary of State for Transport upon his accession to Prime Minister.

On October 25, 2022, the Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP took up the position of Secretary of State for Business following Jacob Rees-Mogg's resignation.

Shapps assumed the role of Home Secretary on October 19, 2022, after Suella Braverman's resignation. This occurred one day before Prime Minister Liz Truss announced her own resignation.

On 31 August 2023, former energy secretary, Grant Shapps, was appointed by UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak as the new Secretary of Defence following the resignation of Ben Wallace from his position.

Their love story began in 1995 when they met at a pub in Leeds. At the time, Grant Shapps was 26 years old, and Belinda Goldstone was 21. After her move to London, they got married in August 1997.

Grant Shapps is a father to three children with his wife, Belinda Goldstone. Their children were conceived through IVF (in vitro fertilisation), due to the effects of chemotherapy. They have a son named Hadley Shapps, and daughter and son twins Tabytha and Noa Shapps.

On July 21, 2010, at Buckingham Palace, he became a Member of His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, earning the prestigious title ‘The Right Honourable’ for life.

The Right Honourable is a licensed pilot who finds enjoyment in participating in general aviation during his free time.